Portland Riverside Campground offers a unique camping experience since it's located at a marina directly on the Connecticut River. The marina is one of the oldest on the river and has been in the same family for more than 40 years. With 25 acres and more than a quarter-mile of river frontage, we are home to 75 boats in the summer and more than 300 for winter storage.

Portland is located across the river from the city of Middletown, a community with a thriving old-fashioned main street, a wide variety of stores and a multiscreen movie theater. Middletown is also home to Wesleyan University.

Portland itself is a quiet community of approximately 8,700 with deep historic roots in shipbuilding and the mining of brownstone. Its Main Street is typical of a southern New England village and is a short drive or about a 15 minute walk.

While at our campgrounds, guests -- especially those with children -- may wish to visit the Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park. This popular park, located on the edge of a lake that was once a brownstone quarry, offers swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, rock climbing, wakeboarding and cliff jumping.

The renowned Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is located in Hartford, just 15 miles north of the campgrounds. This is the nation's oldest public art museum and contains a collection that numbers more than 45,000 pieces.

Hartford is also home to many fine restaurants and the widely acclaimed regional theater, the Hartford Stage Company.

Another popular destination is East Haddam, home of the Goodspeed Opera House, where many Broadway hits were originally staged. The theater and an elegant restaurant, the Gelston House, overlook the Connecticut River. Many people travel hundreds of miles to visit this famous theater, but from Portland Riverside Campground, it is only about a 20 minute drive south along the river.

Goodspeed Opera House on the Connecticut River in East Haddam.